Chapter Text
The final days remaining before the end of Eros’ spree (based on Viktor’s theory) seemed to fly by, and with each correct prediction his Captain grew more and more confident with Viktor’s plan, heralding him as a genius into the minds of Supers. He wanted to correct her, but he just didn’t have the energy. He still investigated the scenes, making it look good for the press and for Eros, but his heart wasn’t in it. Each clue only brought him closer to the end, and his heart was no more settled than it had ever been. Two months of their back and forth battles had left him longing for more, and as much as he didn’t want to lose Eros, he supposed he was ready for it to end.
Now he stood in the center of the rooftop garden, staring at the glass sculpture at the middle of the exhibit. It was a heart of ice being cracked open, with what Viktor could only imagine was love spilling out. It felt oddly symbolic.
There was soft light filling the space, filtered from the city around them making it all feel very romantic. He clenched his jaw, keeping his fists curled tight within the sleeves of his trench coat. He knew his Captain was several blocks away, units cleverly hidden in underground garages where they wouldn’t be accidentally spotted. They’d placed a sensor on the handcuffs around his wrist that would call them to the scene as soon as they were snapped shut. Simple, effective, and final. Even if Viktor didn’t want it to be.
There was the faintest rustle and without even looking, Viktor thrust out his hand in one smooth motion, attaching the handcuff around Eros’ just arrived arm, snapping it into place. The timer had begun.
“Why Detective, that’s rather forward of you.”
Viktor couldn’t look at him. He wanted to, but he couldn’t, afraid to see the betrayal in his eyes. “You said if I caught you, you were mine,” he whispered.
Eros sighed and Viktor felt soft fingers press his chin up until he was gazing into Eros eyes. He was smiling. “And I am.”
Viktor’s breath left him with a rush and Eros moved them to a bench, sitting them on it, still connected by the handcuffs between them. Viktor hoped it was enough to keep Eros at his side; he also hoped it didn’t.
Eros for his part seemed utterly unconcerned with their current situation.
“Run away with me,” Viktor said breathlessly. “My Captain is on the way. I’ve already left my letter of resignation on her desk. If we run now, we can disappear. But if we stay...if we linger, they’ll come here, they’ll take you.”
“I know,” Eros said softly.
“You do?”
Eros giggled and slid off the side of the bench, kneeling in from of Viktor, holding his hand where they were chained together. “Viktor, I put a bug in Makka’s collar when I left her with you.”
Viktor blushed furiously. He’d said a lot of things to Makka....a lot of very incriminating things.
“For the record,” Eros said with his own pale blush, “I feel the same, about everything. Everything you said I agree with. I want those things too.”
Viktor’s heart pounded. “You do?”
Eros nodded with a hum. “But I also want us to have a life, and we can’t do that if we run. If we run we’ll always be running, and that’s no way to live a life.”
“We’d be together.”
Eros smiled, reaching into a hidden pocket in his suit and pulling out a golden ring. “We still can be.”
Viktor felt a sob pull from his chest as Eros slipped the ring on his finger. “It won’t be the same.”
“Shh, don’t worry. I told you, you’re the only one I’ll let catch me.”
“They’ll chain you up.”
Eros smiled, pulling the second ring from his pocket, offering it to Viktor who greedily snatched it up and slid it on Eros’ finger, a promise he didn’t know either of them could keep. “I find I don’t mind being chained,” Eros whispered, looking at their entwined hands before pulling Viktor close and pressing their lips together.
Viktor couldn’t help but cry harder, tears running down his cheeks as he tried to show Eros his feelings with everything he had in that moment. To let one kiss speak for him for however long it took. “I love you,” he whispered. He hadn’t known it before, not until that moment, but it was true. Devastating in its irony, but true.
“I know,” Eros said, “and I love you too. Have for a while now, ever since the aquamarine. I was there, at the bank that day, watching you. You didn’t see me, wouldn’t have, but you saw through that bank manager immediately, and it made me curious about you. The more I learned, the more I liked. The more I loved.”
Viktor could hear the sounds of boots hitting the fire escape and knew he didn’t have much time. Eros smiled and ran his hands over Viktor’s cheeks, cleaning away his tears.
“I’m going to New York,” Viktor whispered.
“I heard,” Eros said. “New York is nice. I used to have friends there.”
“The man who inspired me to be a cop is there. He’s offered me a job.”
Eros smiled, standing slowly pulling Viktor with him as he slowly moved his hands behind his back. “Take good care of Makka, and yourself while I’m away. Remember, you caught me. I’m yours now.”
Viktor nodded, kissing him hard one last time as the boots grew louder, before he pulled away and secured the second set of handcuffs around Eros wrists, keeping his hands together. “You’re mine, and I’m yours,” he whispered as bodies started appearing at the edge of the roof. “Forever.”
As the rooftop descended into a sort of organize chaos, with lights flashing on and more cuffs being secured to Eros’ wrists, securing him to more bodies, and shoving them all back down the stairs where reporters and crowds had already gathered, Viktor couldn’t help but whisper, “Stay close to me.”
They loaded Eros into the armored truck, chaining him to the walls, and Viktor saw him mouth back, “Always.”
“It looks like you’ve been upgraded to First Class, Detective.”
Viktor blinked up at the gate agent. “Oh. Well that’s nice.” Unexpected, but nice. He wasn’t going to argue.
She smiled at him, wishing him a happy flight, but truthfully he wasn’t listening. The live press conference he was streaming had started and all of Viktor’s attention was focused on it. Even as he handed the next agent his ticket for boarding, made his way down the gangway, and sat in his spacious seat.
It’d been two weeks since Eros was captured, and Viktor was sure they’d only waited this long to celebrate it in hopes to confirm that they could actually hold him. It wouldn’t look very good to claim you captured someone only to have them slip away the next day.
Viktor had spent the time cleaning out his desk and wrapping up the last of his paperwork on the case. His Captain had begged him to stay the moment she saw his letter, but Viktor’s mind was made up. No matter what happened, he couldn’t stay in Detroit. Too many memories, too many temptations. It wasn’t like a criminal’s arresting officer could pay his prisoner a friendly visit. He didn’t know how he would emotionally handle the trial when it rolled around.
On the livestream, the Mayor was stepping up on the podium, congratulating himself on the successful capture of Eros, thanking the police for their tireless work, and promising a return to peaceful times. Viktor scoffed as he watched, happy he’d refused to attend the ceremony. It wasn’t a long flight to New York, but it did make for an excellent excuse to skip the dog and pony show. He didn’t work for them anymore, after all.
His mind drifted, hoping Makka was okay in the cargo hold below. He’d wanted to bring her on board with him, but the airline wouldn’t bend its rules, not even for a ‘hero’ cop and his famous dog. The upgrade was nice though. He focused back onto the stream, ready to turn the whole thing off, sick to death of the grandstanding.
Suddenly, without any warning, the Mayor’s hair just...disappeared. The crowd gasped and the Mayor looked around for a long moment before he realized what had happened, searching frantically for his now missing toupee.
There was a whistle and the Mayor, along with everyone else looked up towards the ceiling and there, sitting in the rafters, was Eros.
Viktor’s heart leapt as Eros waved, giving a cheeky grin as several officers, including Captain Mathura went into action, pointing their guns up at him, ordering him down. Eros merely laughed, smiling down at them all as he dropped the toupee and blinked away.
Pandemonium ensued, and the live feed was cut, going back to the news room where a shocked looking anchor tried to make sense of what she saw, pressing a hand to her ear.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are getting confirmation now from Detroit State Prison that Eros has in fact escaped.” The footage changed to a live view inside the cell where several large, heavy chains, with equally large cuffs lay dangling from the walls they’d been attached to. Viktor shuddered as he took in their weight.
“Officials are confirming the Eros is on the loose. He is considered dangerous and the public is reminded not to approach him, and to call the Detroit PD for assistance if spotted…”
There was a shuffle at Viktor’s side as a passenger all but flung themselves into the into the seat beside him with a huff, stashing their backpack under the seat in front of them. The flight attendants were closing the doors, preparing them for takeoff. Viktor pressed his earbuds further into his ears as he stared in shock at the replay of the event. In slow motion you could just make out Eros’ whip flashing down and snagging the Mayor’s toupee.
“Woo, glad I didn’t miss my flight, not with someone like him running around again. Good time to be getting out of Detroit, don’t you think?”
Viktor halted, eyes going wide, whole body stiff as he spun around facing his seatmate who was just placing a pair of blue rimmed glasses on his nose; an amused grin splashed across his face as an all too familiar voice spoke again. “You would not believe the traffic out there; I nearly didn’t make it here in time.”
Viktor felt a whine start to burst from his lips as he tried to form some sort of words. “Er-“
A finger pressed to his lips as the man smiled at him. “I’m Yuuri Katsuki.” He lowered his hand and held it out for a handshake, ring gleaming in the light filtering through the window.
“Hi-i Yuuri.” Viktor felt his tongue curl delightfully around the name. “I’m Viktor Nikiforov.”
“Nice to meet you,” Eros whose name was Yuuri said, shaking his hand and holding on with a soft and gentle grip. “So what takes you to New York, Viktor?”
Viktor swallowed. “I’m moving in...with my boyfriend?”
“Oh really? What a coincidence, so am I! Mine has the cutest dog!”
Viktor couldn’t help the way his heart soared, and he risked the ruse, pulling Yuuri in close for a quick hug, sobbing silently into his neck.
“Now now, why the tears?” Yuuri whispered. “You make it look far too pretty and it's my turn to be the cry baby for once. I did just get out of prison you know? The food was awful! The things I do for you.”
Viktor couldn’t help but laugh as he leaned back, staring fervently at Yuuri’s unobstructed face. “But won’t they catch you? They’ve seen your face haven’t they?”
Yuuri giggled and Viktor was sure it was the most gorgeous sound he’d ever heard. “Oh no. My suit is a part of my Power; there’s no way to take it off unless I disengage it, for lack of a better word.”
“But the Instagram photo?” Viktor questioned, thinking back to Eros unzipping his costume, and the back he very much wanted to get his hands on.
“Oh that?” Yuuri said, cheeks suddenly inflaming. “Uh, well, I sort of had a replica made?”
Viktor tilted his head. “You had a replica of your suit made...just for that photo?”
Blushing, Yuuri nodded. “Did it work?”
Viktor really couldn’t be held accountable for the way the blood rushed straight to his groin. The plane was just starting to take off and the sense of weightlessness took over his whole body as he stared into the eyes of the man he loved. Of the man he would never have to let go of.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “It worked.”
Yuuri smiled, his whole face lighting up. “Then my greatest heist is complete.”